Imagine Me Without You

Summary: Her voice could do many things, so long as she accompanied her "will" with a lyrical melody. Kagome was an orphan who was lucky enough to be found by Aizawa back when he was actively pursuing criminals at night as Eraserhead. She owes everything that she is to the man who gave her a home and a family.

Anime: InuYasha/Boku no Hero Academia

Genre: Action/Romance

Pairing: Undecided

Rated: M

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Chapter Ten

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"Faster Kagome!"

Ducking out of the way of a fist moving in her direction, Kagome pushed herself to move faster as her dad twisted in the air and tried to kick her. She somehow avoided a direct hit but was still brushed by his tightly closed fist. At eleven, Kagome was becoming quite the fighter, well versed in self-defense with the help of her father. Taking to training with him every weekend and an hour or two after school. Well... after the arcade and homework. "You've been doing this a lot longer than me, dad! It's not like I come with the presets for speed already implemented!"

Shota disappeared in front of her. Instinctively, Kagome tucked and rolled out of the way of his arm as he made to grab her. Kicking up as he pushed forward to reach her, she was still on the ground, not quick enough to get back on her feet. Blinking, her sneaker was flat against his hand, where he caught it and twisted. A sharp pain caught her off guard. He didn't twist hard enough to sprain or twist her ankle, just enough to get her to cry "uncle"! Most of her sparring sessions with her dad ended with her being restrained by him somehow.

"That's enough for today. You're improving; you need to keep practicing until you've smoothed out all the edges."

"I'm improving? It doesn't feel like it. I lose every time we spar."

"I consider that a good thing, Kagome. If I lost to my eleven-year-old daughter after training her for only two years, I'd have to turn in my Heor license. You'll defeat me one day, Kagome. Don't rush it, though." He brushed a sweat rag over his forehead and glanced at the scorching sun. Shota shook his head. "It's gotten so hot lately. I need to head home and turn in, shall we?"

Kagome nodded, running forward; she took her dad's hand in hers as they made their way home. "When was the last time it rained? It's been pretty dry out lately, too."

"Keep hydrated; I don't want you passing out from heatstroke or anything."

Laughing his worry off, Kagome smiled, "I know that!"

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"Everyone wants to be a Hero, yet all we study is Math, Literature, Science, and History. At what point do we go over Hero tactics and Heroic Measures."

Nodding, Eijiro listened from behind Kagome as he watched her mutter to herself while sitting in the library going over her literature work. "Talking to yourself?"

"Ejiro!"

Grinning, he raised a hand at her. "Hey, I was studying with Mina when you took to mumbling." Jabbing a thumb back over his shoulder.

Kagome looked back at the pinkette, recognizing her in passing. She raised a hand and smiled before glancing back at Ejiro. "Sorry, Eiji, lately I've been thinking about U.A."

"That's like...still two years away." Something akin to awe took up residence on Ejiro's face as he took in his best friend. Kagome was one-hundred percent serious about taking extra lessons. "H-have you spoken with your dad? Maybe he could teach you in his free time?"

'Free time?' Kagome laughed at that. Not able to contain the wheeze of air as she tried to pull herself together. "Sorry, sorry!" She waved off the looks that everyone in the library was giving her. A foster look found Ejiro as he smiled and sat down across from her. "Listen, he's already teaching me to fight in his spare time. If I take up any more of his time, he won't be able to sleep before his patrols." Saying this like Eijiro knew who her father was.

"...right...I suppose All Might would be pretty busy."

Kagome froze. Her eyes lifted to Eijiro, who looked smug, knowing he held something over her. Not sure if he realized it, but he did. "How did..." she glanced around the room before ducking her head forward so that there were barely two inches between them. "How did you find out about him!?"

"Chill, chill! I wasn't aware that it was all that big a deal." The smirk he wore told a completely different story. "Well, I sort of knew. I never said anything, but seriously, why would this surprise me? I've seen you two walking home together or...well, I assume he's walking you home. I mean, it's cool! So, you know, relax."

Slowly falling back into her chair, she closed her eyes and thought for a bit in silence. 'Does Eiji think All Might is my dad?' Finally, she made up her mind. "Eijiro, would you like to join dad and me for dinner?"

Eijiro stared at her for a long, quiet moment, unsure what to make of her offer. He looked thoughtfully down at his hands in his lap, then nodded his head slowly. He felt like this was a necessary step to becoming true friends. He already thought of her as a best friend, but there was only so much they could talk about. He'd honestly been dying to meet her dad. He was legendary!

Tilting her wrist, she checked the time and pulled out her phone to send her dad a text. "Shall we go then?"

"Ah! R-right now!? I mean, yes, yeah!" He ran back to Mina, who glanced up when he moved over to her. Apologizing for leaving so abruptly, he grabbed his bag and called out to her. "See you tomorrow Mina!"

Kagome waited patiently for him to run up to her, turning and walking off with him by her side as he joined her. She couldn't be sure how this would go, but Eijiro had been her friend for many years now. She wanted to let him in more. "Hey, so just to give you a heads up, we own a lot of cats. Like... a lot."

"...That's what you want to warn me about?" He blinked in confusion before the two broke into a fit of laughter.

"What? It could be a serious problem if you're allergic to cats! That's a medical event, you know!" Wiping a stray tear away as she tried to stop the laughter that bubbled in her chest.

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Stretching as he climbed out of his bed. Shota picked up his phone as the screen lit up. It was rare for Kagome to message him this early after school. She usually stayed and finished her homework at the library these days. This would be followed by spending an hour or so with that friend at the arcade. It wasn't the ideal pastime he'd have encouraged for her, but he wasn't about to deny her a social life.

Reading the message, he glanced at the time it was sent and then turned his eyes to the alarm clock on his bedside table. Not even a few seconds after registering the time as forty-five after three, his cellphone went off in his hand. He answered with a muted yawn, "yeah?"

"Shota, if it isn't my favorite Midnight Prowler."

"You can't come over tonight. I'm entertaining Kagome's guest, and unless you plan to stay in your All Might form the entire night—"

"Kagome is bringing someone home? Who?"

Already feeling a headache form from how aggressive Toshinori sounded, despite how he'd clearly just deflated into his far scrawnier form. "Her friend,"

"The one she calls her "best friend"?"

Shota paused briefly and wondered why he could hear the quotations surrounding those last two words. "Are you pouting?

"No,"

Shota closed his eyes as he leaned against the bedstand. Somehow he managed to contain the sigh of exasperation. "...do you want to meet him?"

"I don't know..."

"Toshinori, do you want to meet the guy Kagome's been hanging out with for nearly four years now?"

"...yes."

"Right then. Get over here, but come in your...normal form. You can change into your All Might form when they get here, which should grant you more time."

"When is dinner?"

"They should be here in another twenty minutes, so I'm going to start cooking now. Any requests?"

"You know I'll eat anything you cook!"

"Then I'll see you in soon."

"Right!"

Shota tossed his phone to his bed and made his way to the kitchen. He'd already planned for dinner earlier, so he was glad that Toshinori didn't make a request. He would have had to change up the entire menu. Originally, he'd planned on making Katsudon for four, three for tonight, because he knew Toshi would be joining them. Meanwhile, the fourth was going to be used in a bento for Kagome tomorrow. However, this was fine too.

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Me: Here is chapter ten. I could have made this longer, but I already plan to start chapter eleven when I get home from work, so I figured this would be fine.